Blues legend Alice Stuart made a sensational return to the Island, attracting the Bermuda Folk Club’s biggest audience of the year on Saturday evening.The folk and blues singer-songwriter rose to prominence in the early 1960s, and subsequently played with the likes of Frank Zappa and Van Morrison. At the Spanish Point Boat Club she showed why she is still held in high regard in the world of blues and folk music.The American lit up the evening with songs that spanned her lengthy career, and fittingly did so with an acoustic guitar she bought in 1962.Scuffed and worn from half-a-century of use it may be, but the instrument delivered warm sounds that complemented Ms Stuart’s enchanting style.Classic blues tunes, some of which reached back to the 1920s, were given new life in Ms Stuart’s expert hands. With ease she walked mesmerising bass lines, fingerpicked melodies, and just as easily injected some slide guitar and rhythmic strumming.Starting with Blind Willie McTell’s ‘Statesboro Blues’, she was soon in her element with Memphis Minnie’s ‘In My Girlish Days’, followed by ‘I’m Channeling Memphis Minnie Tonight’ — a tribute to the first woman to play blues on an electric guitar.The pioneering spirit of the late Memphis Minnie is mirrored in Ms Stuart.Long before the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Joan Jett and Chrissie Hynde became big names in the world of rock, Ms Stuart was rocking things up with her electric Stratocaster guitar fronting the otherwise all-male group Snake in the late 1960s and early 70s.Ms Stuart’s dexterity with the guitar is matched by her voice. She can just as readily belt out an upbeat number as she can lilt a folk song or add poignancy to a blues classic.Her voice rings and resonates with a perfect pitch and a clarity that brings every line of a song to life.She covered Bob Dylan’s ‘One Too Many Mornings’, ran though her self-penned ‘Basket Case’ from the 2007 album ‘Freedom’, and followed up with Doc Watson’s ‘Deep River Blues’.Local harmonica player Neil Burnie accompanied Ms Stuart on Skip James’ ‘Hard Time Killing Floor Blues’. Mr Burnie showed respect by judging when to add a flourish of musical accompaniment and when to step back so as not to swamp the song.He switched to saxophone as Ms Stuart delivered a warm rendition of Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry’s ‘Living With The Blues’. Ms Stuart was a friend of the late Sonny Terry.When she covers other people’s songs Ms Stuart personalises them to great effect, adjusting the lyrics or adding a few of her own. This was the case with Mississippi Fred McDowell’s ‘Drop Down Mama’, which became ‘Drop Down Daddy’, and wrapped up the first part of the evening.The night had started with ukulele-playing singer Mike Hind’s uplifting medley featuring ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’, followed by a version of Otis Redding’s ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’.He was followed by folk club debutant Ray Pasnen, with a masterfully controlled power delivery of Seal’s ‘Crazy’, The Beatles ‘Eleanor Rigby’, before finishing with ‘Midnight Rider’.Guitarists Michael Cacy and Jeffrey Marshall impressed with a version of Norah Jones’ ‘Long Way Home’ and were joined by harmonica player Neil Burnie for ‘Trashy Women’.Mr Cacy and Mr Marshall wrapped up with a tribute to the late Levon Helm, playing ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’.Singer Joy T Barnum and keyboard player Milton Raposo impressed with three songs, including ‘Something Arbitrary’ from Ms Barnum’s debut album ‘Phlegm in Tay’s Closet’ and the powerful ‘Ask Someone Else’.Local singer Val Sherwood read a poem in tribute to Alice Stuart before the second part of the evening.Ms Stuart then returned to the stage with a sprinkling of some of her best-known songs, including ‘Freedom’s The Sound’, from her Fantasy Records days.One of the night’s highlights was a moving version of Rebb Firman’s ‘Only A Love Song’.The energy level was turned up another notch as Neil Burnie and local guitarist/singer Michael Cacy joined Ms Stuart on Jimmy Reed’s ‘Baby What Do You Want Me To Do’ and the rocking ‘Big Boss Man’.Before the night ended there was time for Jerry Jeff Walker’s ‘I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight’ and two of Ms Stuart’s own songs ‘Out On The Highway’ and perhaps her best known composition ‘Full-Time Woman’, a song covered by a number of others including Jackie DeShannon.The appreciative audience called for an encore, and Ms Stuart obliged with Robert Cray’s ‘On The Night Patrol’.Wearing colourful Converse sneakers, and with a vibrant, engaging stage manner, there seems no reason why Ms Stuart’s long-lived musical career cannot go on for many more years.Judging by Saturday’s performance, there are plenty on the Island hoping that means she will return to play in Bermuda again.$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$l Ms Stuart is expected to make a guest appearance with local band Bones at Harbour Nights tonight.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$